Solitaire Detective: The Frame-Up Review – Criminally Easy

The Good

Plenty of levels to keep you engaged

Power-ups to buy make things interesting

Visually satisfying

The Bad

Much too easy

Samey gameplay

Solitaire is a game thatâ€™s centuries old, but it always keeps us coming back for more. There are any number of other games that will let youÂ delve into an adventure of great wonders, but sometimes you just want to line up some cards, right? Itâ€™s oddly relaxing. What isnâ€™t relaxing is setting up the cards in the first place, which is why there are so many solitaire games out there for the PC.

Solitaire Detective: The Frame-UpÂ is one such game, and it attempts to throw in a storyline too. Is it great? Well, it manages to offer exactly what you want from a solitaire game, butÂ little more. Itâ€™s also a touch on the easy side.

At its heart, Solitaire Detective isÂ quite reminiscent of the sublime Regency Solitaire. You work your way through various levels, clearing cards while earning money that can be used to buy upgrades. TheÂ storyline focuses on mystery and intrigue, and a frame up, suitably enough. But it’sÂ also really quite forgettable. It looks quite cute and charming, but Iâ€™ll be surprised if you manage to remember what happened within a moment or two of continuing.

Fortunately the solitaire action is a little more memorable, if not a little tooÂ simplistic. Each level has you presented with a screen full of cards, usually arranged in a reasonably attractive manner. At the bottom of the screen are the cards that you can use. Simply place numerically adjacent cards with each other, and theyâ€™re cleared. Yup, itâ€™s good old regular solitaire here. Itâ€™s quite fun too, until you realize itâ€™s very difficult to actually fail at anything. Three starring levels early on is far from a challenge, and actually completing a level is childâ€™s play.

As things progress, Solitaire Detective: The Frame-Up offers a few small changes. You begin to unlock wild cards that can be used in exchange for a conventional turn. More interestingly, you unlock power-ups that can be used at regular intervals. These are purchased as a one time fee through coins youâ€™ve gained via regular play. Their only limitation is time-based, so you’ll be able to re-use them frequently. The eye bonus, for example, has you able to flip up any card lying down so you see what it is ahead of time. The hammer removes any card of your choice, while the shuffle bonus changes things up, hopefully for the better.

Elsewhere you can use your frequently acquired coins to earn other passive bonuses. These might be an increase in the effectiveness of something, or a simple multiplier booster for what youâ€™re already doing.

The issue here is that youâ€™ll rarely feel the need to have many of these power-ups. They might make things easier, but this is a game thatâ€™s already pretty simple to begin with. The lack of challenge means that while Solitaire Detective: Framed is quite relaxing, itâ€™s also a little too obviously laid out. Itâ€™s the kind of thing you can play through without giving it much thought. Thatâ€™s fine for a time, but its progression is all too slow. It lacks the all important spark that superior solitaire games can offer. Soltaire Detective: The Frame-Up’sÂ main advantage is that itâ€™s probably going to appeal younger gamers who are new to solitaire — but more experienced hands might want to look elsewhere.